Ronald × Steve

gay (very cool)

Steve lay in his Shelden Cooper bed, pondering all that had happened. It had been a wild time, but now he was back home, and he felt achingly... normal. After all the excitement, he didn't know what to do. So he decided to go to Mcdonalds. When he got there, he was shocked to see the Ronald Macdonald right there. In the flesh. Steve's breath hitched. In person, the clown was even more beautiful than the photos he had seen. Ronald was apparently making a guest appearance of sorts. He was manning the register when Steve got in line to order. He was lucky he had gotten there when he did because the line quickly filled up after him. After three people had ordered their Preservatives Premium, it was Steve's turn. His stomach tightened with nervousness as he looked at those empty, soulless eyes. "Are you going to order anything?" Ronald asked good-naturedly, though a bit confused. Steve shook his head, trying to remember what he was going to order. "Uh- uhm. A big mac.. and- and a coke, please." Ronald smiled. "Coming right up." That smile. Even after awkwardly moving out of the way for the next customer, he was dazed thinking about it. He thought about that smile while eating his McDonald's, when he headed home, and even the next morning. He couldn't get the clown out of his head. Maybe that's why he went back to McDonald's the next day, though he didn't admit that to himself. Steve walked into McDonald's, kicking himself. Why was he here? There was no time to think, though. As luck or fate would have it, the line was empty. "Back again, are we?" Ronald said, all too charmingly. "Yeah.. honestly, I wanted to see you again. I'm a big fan." "That's sweet. So, same as last time?" "Yeah, I-" something unexpected caught Steve's eye on the big screen. "Actually, I'd like a happy meal. Are you still giving out the skibidi toilet toys?" "Wait, you like skibidi toilet? I LOVE skibidi toilet!!" For the first time, Ronald wasn't so intimidating and untouchable. He was... human. Um, as far as Steve knew. Probably. "Of course I do!" Steve laughed. "Hey..." Ronald seemed to be mulling something over. He handed his phone over the counter. "Put your number in. You know, for the company." Ronald winked. Steve blushed. 'What could he do but comply?' At least, that's what Steve told himself. That's how he justified it to his best friend, Chuck E. Cheese, as well. "Dude." "What?" "Why are you freaking out so much about this?" "Well, I dunno- I mean, he's my hero, why wouldn't I be feaked out!" "That doesn't mean you have to wait 24 hours to text him back." "WHAT AM I MEANT TO SAY?!" "Okay, let me help you. Can I see?" Steve handed Chuck his phone. Hey "Great start," said Chuch sarcastically. Hi Ron :), he typed. Doing nicknames already? Ron replied a little too quickly. Steve's face went red. He looked away, which was probably a bad idea. "Got you a date," Chuck smiled a few minutes of entusiastic typing later. "What- I don't like - I'm not gay!" "Okay, then. A friend date, whatever." Steve didn't reply. It had been a week. It was now Saturday. It was time. For the Date. Well, Steve didn't think of it as a date. Just purely platonic hanging out between bros. But Chuck kept insisting it was more than that, and his teases had latched onto Steve. Was this a date? Were they anything? What if Ronald thought this was a date? Steve wasn't gay, but he really liked Ron. He didn't want things to be awkward. "Okay, stop." He verballt told himself. It wasn't like Ron was gonna be attracted to him in any case. He jumped when he got a call from Chuck. "Hi!" "Hey, Steve. Excited for your date?" "For the last time, Chuck, it's not a date!" "Sure, it isn't," Chuck said with a smile in his voice. There was one reason Steve let Chuck tease him like that. Steve and Chuck had been best friends since year 3. Neither of them had been very popular at school, so naturally, they gravitated towards each other. All these years later, they were still each other's closest friends. Even though Steve could be dense and Chuck could be annoying, they loved each other (as bros, of course). Chuck had even given Steve a job at his company and a place to stay when Steve had been going through a rough patch. "Hey, you're my best friend, bro, you know that?" Chuck was silent for a second. "Yeah, I know. Now go have fun on your date." Steve sighed, but he wasn't irritated. Chuck could've sworn he almost saw a smile on his face. Steve finished getting ready, and after checking how he looked in the mirror a totally innocent amount of times, he left the house and went to meet up with Ron. They were going to a sort-of-expensive restaurant, but Steve wasn't worried about. All he was thinking about was the look on Ronald's face when he said 'hi'. The date was ... disappointing if Steve was being honest. He didn't really know what he expected, given it was really just a hangout between aquaintances who didn't actually know each other. It was also awkward since Steve was still a little starstruck to be hanging out with the Ronald McDonald. Every time he thought about the fact that he was here with Ron, as Steve had taken to calling him, having dinner and chatting, he would stop paying attention, thinking about the ridiculousness of it all. The only meaningful bit of conversation happened when Steve, for the umpteenth time, had slipped into his mind again. "Sorry?" "I said, have you heard that Hatsune Miku is on her world tour?" "Oh. Yeah, I have. She's in London right now, I think." "Yeah, she's coming here soon. I wish I could get tickets😔," Ron sighed sadly. "I- well, my cousin is dating her! She might be able to score us some tickets." "OH. MY. GOSH. You're kidding!" "No, she could! I mean, I'm not sure, but me and her are pretty close, so I'm sure she would try if I asked." "Oh my God, you're the best!!" Steve ignored the way his heart lifted a bit at that. The way he wanted to hear it again. "What's your cousin's name? I have to thank her!" "Um... Elsa." "Elsa?! The former queen? The sister of the current queen? What, she just so happens to be your cousin?!" "I mean, sort of. I call her that, but we're not actually related. We just grew up together. We lost touch when she was a teen, but she reached out to get to know me again when she moved to the forest." "No way. You know Elsa. And Miku. You're basically famous, dude!" "No way, you're much more famous than me! You own a whole worldwide chain!" Ron didn't look as happy when his company was mentioned. Before I could apologise or ask what was wrong or panic, he got a call. "I'm sorry," he said with real regret. "I have to go." "Oh. Bye. Could I know why?" "The nanny called. My son doesn't wanna go to sleep." Steve's mind was racing now, as he found it doing all too often where the clown was concerned. He had a son?! Steve never should've let Chuck get in his head, the guy had a son for God's sake! Not that Steve was upset. He just hadn't known that Ronald was married or anything. Steve shouldn't have thought of it as a 'date' anyways. Ronald hadn't suggested anything of the sort and clearly he thought of Steve as just a friend. However, given the many feelings he was currently having, Steve was forced to come to the very real realization that he was having said feelings for Ronald. Because of Ronald. Before he could think very hard about it and stew in his own emotions for however long it took him to fall asleep, his phone rang. He picked it up quickly, almost choking when he saw the 'Ron🤡🩷' contact name Chuck had put that Steve hadn't been bothered to change. "Hey Steve," came Ron's voice through the other end. It was about 11:30 at night now. He sounded tired; no, exhausted. "Sorry I had to cut our- hang out short. I know my kid has trouble falling asleep without me, I just thought I could sneak away tonight." "Oh, it's fine! No, your child's first priority, obviously." They chatted for a little while longer, until they both grew tired. Maybe that night, Steve would have to postpone thinking about what last night meant, questioning his sexuality, having jealous thoughts of Ronald's lover. Maybe that night, Steve could fall asleep to Ron's quiet breathing on the other end.